Are you sick of winter yet? We certainly are! It’s been long, cold, and entirely unproductive (we’re kicking ourselves too, but not too hard). Even though not a lot of stuff was made (as in… we didn’t make anything…), we have been discussing the future of Dancer’s Dream Boutique, and where we want to take it this coming year. We had our taxes done last month, and we’re happy (and very grateful) to say we turned a small profit! It’s nothing big, but we’re excited because that means we have those of you out there who are willing to support us, and it keeps us on track to retaining a business status and not falling back into hobbyists. So long as we can always make sure that two out of five years show profit,...

You’ll find many diverse pieces in our Etsy shop. However there’ll be some very lovely items that we will rarely have in inventory but will be more than happy to make just for you on demand. One such item is Super Duo Necklaces (named for the long beads primarily used to make them). These are gorgeous necklaces but since they’re so customizable and time consuming to make, we’re not going to hammer these out in bulk. Don’t let that stop you though from ordering one of these pretties! (Perhaps with a nice set of earrings to match! lol) These necklaces are priced at $60 a piece – basically because of the amount of beads that go into them, plus the five to six hours of actual work that goes into making one. (Earrings to...

What we do started as a hobby. We both love to dance, but outfits don’t fit us and accessories are never quite the right color combinations to match. In response we took to our sewing machines and craft tables to make things that work for us. From there, we started making things that work for others. This was originally something we did just because we wanted to. It soon became apparent to us though that what we were doing was actually a viable form of side-income, which meant we had to decide if we wanted to take it to the next level. Did we want to become a business, instead of just weekend hobbyists? Our feeling was “yes”, but we decided we had to be sure before we got in too deep. Rather than...

Early in November of last year we received our first major commission: 25 flowers with pin backings. Needless to say we were pretty psyched! Only problem was they were all Star and Stripes flowers which are my design. Though Sam and I are capable of folding each other’s designs, for the sake of simplicity we prefer to keep to our own flowers; so this was all on me. On the upside, there was plenty of time: about a month. On the downside, I was in the middle of my first NaNoWriMo and was seriously lacking in free time. We decided since the flowers weren’t due till the third week in December that I’d finish off NaNo and then hit the flower-folding really hard come December 1st. This actually worked out well – I was...

When we go to the mall, we’re often prone to do a little price-shopping. Why buy a shirt at the Bon-Ton, when you can get something that looks almost exactly the same for half the price at Rue 21? This is natural for us to do. We clip coupons, shop around, and question our needs vs our wants to save every penny we can; mostly so we can afford gas. It comes as no surprise then that when we get customers at craft fairs, we have people who are a bit put-off by the price of goods. This is especially true if it’s more of a vendor fair, and we’re not only having our prices compared to similar crafters, but to direct-sale companies like Avon and Silpada that have the advantage of mass-produced items...

So few crafters can “just craft” for a living; they’re usually “making a living” and crafting on the side. This often means there’s precious little time to actually sit down and craft. The solution I’ve found is taking my projects with me if I know I’ll be sitting in a waiting room for more than five minutes or have a half hour or so to kill between activities while I’m out and about. Those few minutes add up, can be surprisingly productive and they make the time go faster! (Just make sure bring a watch or set your phone if you need to be somewhere!!) Behold! My mobile crafting unit! It’s just a file box you can pick up at any old office supply store and I tied a string around the back of...

So I’m sure many of you reading this have gone to a craft fair or two in your days. Perhaps a few of you have attended one as a vendor selling your carefully crafted wares, hoping to turn a profit. If that’s the case, then you’ll probably already know all about what I’m about to talk about. Craft fairs are hard work. Not just because you have to make the product (do not confuse us with consultants please), but because you have to prepare for the craft fair. Some of you are probably saying “Well, duh, making the product IS preparing for the craft fair.” Hahahaha, I wish that were all of it! When we get ready for a craft fair, the first thing we have to ask ourselves is “Can we feasibly make...

Etsy Shop

Join our Email List!

Email address:

By signing up for this list, you will receive email updates about upcoming craft fairs, when the Etsy updates, new blog posts, and new products; ect. We will never spam you, and your email address will never be sold or shared with another company.